Ichigo and Ryou Under The Mistletoe
by SitDog-Boy
Summary: Being Revised This is IchigoxRyou. It's Christmas time for the Mew Mews! Finished! But there is a sequel! Please read that too!
1. I've Had It

Everybody loves a Christmas fic, right? Well, I hope you enjoy mine! Now, onto the disclaimer!

Disclaimer: Heck, I wish I owned Tokyo Mew Mew! If I did, Ryou and Ichigo would be together because I hate Masaya!

"…" are spoken words

italics are thoughts

**I've Had It**

"Augh... I'm soooo tired," Ichigo whined exhaustedly as she continued working.

It was just your average day at the Mew Mew Café. Lettuce was dropping plates, Pudding was doing crazy tricks, Mint was sipping tea, Zakuro was glaring at people, and Ichigo was doing **all** the work. Normally, she wouldn't mind so much, but that day her boss was being too... well, bossy. Whenever something had to be done, he'd rope Momomiya into doing it, no matter how busy she already was. Sometimes, he just seemed to love torturing her to no end. For awhile, Ichigo just huffed and put up with it, but she simply couldn't take it anymore.

"I'm tired of this!" she yelled aloud, "Why am I the only one who ever does anything around here? And why, Shirogane, am I always the one you ask to do stuff, even though I've got my hands full as it is!"

"Quit complaining and get back to work, Strawberry!" Ryou shot back in mock aggrivation, specifically avoiding having to answer the posed question.

Ichigo couldn't take it anymore, so she spoke up, "Excuse me, but ten bucks an hour is **so** not worth it for all the things I do! I demand a raise! And quit calling me 'Strawberry'! ...And answer me, darn it!"

Yawning, Ryou ignored her and stated, "If anyone needs me I'll be in my room." So he began walking up the stairs to his bedroom, which only furthered Ichigo's anger.

_Oh, that's it. When the café closes today, I'm going to have a talk with that insensitive_ _**jerk**!_ the fuming cat-girl cried inwardly.

That said,she continued to work, cleaning up Lettuce's messes and taking orders from the customers.

It was Friday so they closed up at ten, and the girls, with the exception of Ichigo, all went their separate ways to go home for the night.

_Finally,_ she thought, _I can give Ryou a piece of my mind._

As she was climbing the stairs, though, a small kitten came bounding down them but stopped as he noticed her presence.

"Alto?"

* * *

Okay, I know it's short, but it's just the first chapter! Well, thanks for reading! I hope you're interested enough to continue! 


	2. Ryou's Attitude! And Who's THAT?

Hello, and welcome to chapter two! I've rewritten this again, lol! I've decided that I'd prefer it if Ichigo knew about Alto! Lol

Disclaimer: One day I may just steal TMM, but until then it is not mine, lol! Enjoy!

* * *

"Alto?" The little kitten froze in its tracks for a second to confirm who the person in front of him was, then prepared to dart off at a record breaking speed, only to be caught by the girl.

_Damn_, he thought, _I thought I could get away!_

"Shirogane Ryou!" she exclaimed as she held him up by the scruff of his neck, "Were you trying to run out of here to avoid talking to me?"

Sweat dripped down Alto's face as he tried to think of some excuse as to why he tried to leave so sneakily. All he could come up with was, "Aw, you caught me!" He grinned as he reverted to his human form, effectively pinning Ichigo beneath him. "Sooo… what did you want to talk about?"

Blushing violently, the redhead shrieked, "Pervert!"

Ryou quickly brought a hand to her mouth to silence her. "You're so loud. Isn't it a little late for you to be screaming like that?"

"Mmmft!" Momomiya tried to protest, but her words were muffled against the blonde's hand. Thus, she opted instead for glaring, although her face remained a brilliant red.

Temporarily satisfied with the level of embarrassment he'd caused, Shirogane released the cat girl and stood, offering his hand.

"Pft! I'm not falling for that! You're just trying to make me forget about that raise I want! Well, I'm not gonna, so knock it off!"

The young man replied, "You never give up, do you? Can't you ask about that at a more decent hour?"

"Correction: I'm not **asking** for a raise; I'm **demanding** that I get one. The payment I get isn't nearly worth it for all the work I do. Um… a-and if you don't give me a raise… I… I'll- I'll- I'll quit!"

The blonde teen became amused at her sudden little outburst and teased, "You're so weird. And why are you so worked up **now**, of all times. It's almost Christmas anyway, which means you'll be getting a break soon. Oh, and on Christmas Eve, instead of working, you're invited to the party we're having downstairs in the café."

At this, Ichigo's ears perked up. (A/N: No, not the cat ones. Lol) She immediately hammered Ryou with questions, asking, "A Christmas Party? At the café? Who's coming? Can I bring some friends?"

"Slow down," Shirogane instructed, "You can bring whoever because anyone who wants to come is invited. Just don't bring anyone like you. I get enough of that as it is."

"What!" she cried, "You are so mean!"

"Yeah, I know," Ryou smirked, "But that's why you like me!"

The girl immediately squealed, "Wh-what?!" and her cheeks reddened, two oh so familiar cat ears appearing.

"You're so funny."

A few moments of silence passed between them before the little cat girl spoke again, "I had better go home. It's pretty late..."

"I'll walk you. It'd be dangerous for you to go alone." That being said, he grabbed his jacket and led Ichigo outside.

"Ryou…" she inaudibly whispered. _Is he worried about me? Why does he always do this? He goes from being mean to super sweet, which might explain why I have mixed feelings toward him… Feelings of friendship! They're just feelings of friendship!_ As the redhead continued to ponder her _friend's_ strange character, she unconsciously shivered.

Concerned, Shirogane asked, "Are you cold?"

"No, I'm fine," she assured, but he had already placed his jacket on her shoulders.

Surprised, she protested, "But I said-"

"Don't be dumb. If you catch cold, you'll be sick over the holiday..."

"Th-thanks," she stammered while thinking, _He really does care, doesn't he? I like it when he's nice to me!_ Ichigo smiled as they walked along the street.

Eventually, they approached Momomiya's house, and she returned Ryou's coat and slipped inside.

_Wow. That time he didn't even go back to being a jerk. He was nice during the whole trip. That's gotta be some kind of record… Wait, am I forgetting something?_ As she yawned, Ichigo decided that whatever it was could wait because she was completely exhausted.

Outside, the blonde laughed, "Well, I got her to stop talking about that raise!"

* * *

"Mm…hm?" Ichigo sleepily looked at the clock on her nightstand. " Quarter after nine? Oh no! I was supposed to be at work fifteen minutes ago! Ryou's gonna kill me!" She hurriedly got ready for work and flew out the door, running as fast as her legs would carry her. Once in the café, she skidded to a stop directly in front of her boss.

"You're late, baka strawberry! When are you ever gonna be on time!" the extremely angry blonde teen yelled.

"Look, my alarm didn't go off this morning! Why are you yelling at me! You know I always make up for being late by working extra hard!" she explained. _So much for being nice; he's right back to insulting me…_ she inwardly fumed, but apologized, "…Sorry about being late…"

Ryou sighed heavily, thinking, _This girl causes me so much stress…_ Then he said, "Just hurry up and do your job." With that he walked away, leaving little Ichigo completely dumbfounded. But she soon snapped out of it when she heard someone calling her name.

"Hey, Ichigo!"

Spinning on one foot, she turned around with excitement. "Masaya!" However, her expression soon dropped when she saw a girl with him. "Uh… who's that?" she asked while silently adding, _And what's she doing, hanging all over Masaya like that!_

Aoyama stated, "This is just an old friend of mine. You haven't met."

"My name is Acacia. It's a pleasure to meet you," the brunette announced with arrogance. "Masaya's told me all about you…Momomiya is it?"

Ichigo nodded politely in affirmation, but her thoughts were anything but that. She inwardly glared, _I think she just sneered at me! I don't like her!_

"Say, you wanna come with us to the library later? We're going to be looking up information on the protection of rainforests," he offered.

"I would, but I have to work pretty late today… Sorry, I wish I could," Ichigo admitted regretfully, "Maybe next time..."

Smiling back, he waved and said, "Sure, but we better go. Have fun at work!"

Waiting for Aoyama to walk far enough away, Acacia glared at Ichigo.

"You had better stay away from **my** Masaya or else, you loser!" she threatened. Just as Momomiya was about to tell her off, though, Shirogane stepped in.

"Or else what?" he dared.

The bully of teen rudely asked, "And who are you?"

"I am Ichigo's boss, and I will not tolerate anyone talking to my employee in such a rude manner. And if you don't leave right now, you'll be thrown out. So get lost!"

Acacia let out a "Hmph" and turned on her heel to follow Masaya.

Timidly, Ichigo looked up at Ryou. Smiling, she thought, _He stood up for me…_ Then the girl just had to ask, "Thanks, but why?"

"Well I couldn't let her get away with that. Only **I'm** allowed to make fun of you! Strawberry head!"

"Ugh! You, jerk!" Stomping toward a table, she mumbled to herself about how Ryou could be so cocky. _Who does he think he is anyway? And what does he mean only __**he**__ can tease me?_

* * *

So, whaddoya think? Next time the aliens are gonna join the fic! Yayness! Whelp, you know what to do! R&R please! 


	3. Meow?

All right! Chapter 3 is ready for action! Wahoo! Thanks for reviewin'! Today we have Ichigo to do the disclaimer!

Ichigo: My friends and I do not belong to SitDog-Boy, no matter how much she wants us to!

**Meow?**

It was Wednesday afternoon that Ichigo and the other Mews decided to get together and pick pollyanna partners. They had long since made up with the aliens and had agreed to include them in the tradition. They shuffled names in a hat and each picked two, since Ryou, Keiichiro, Kish, Pie, and Tart weren't there. Ichigo got Ryou and vise versa, Zakuro and Pie got each other, Mint unfortunately pulled out Kish's name (I know what to give him, heheheheh…), who in turn got Keiichiro, who got Lettuce, who ended up with Mint, and Pudding picked Tart, who was stuck with Pudding (A/N: Confusing, ne?).

When Ichigo discovered that she had to get something for Ryou, she frowned slightly, _What could I possibly give him that he doesn't already have?_ Her thoughts were then interrupted when three familiar aliens appeared in front of her and the others.

"What's up, honey?" Kish playfully asked.

_Here we go again, _Ichigo sighed heavily, "I'm not your honey! I already told you, I'm **not** interested!"

Pie floated down to where Zakuro was, "Who did I get for this 'pollyanna' thing?"

Zakuro answered blankly, "Me…"

"I think I can handle that."

"Tar Tar!" Pudding called, "We're pollyanna partners! Isn't that great?"

Tart growled at Pudding, "So what? It's nothing spectacular."

Mint then told Kish, "Too bad for you Kish. You have to give Keiichiro a gift."

Then the mischeivous alien pouted about how he wanted to get Ichigo.

* * *

Ichigo was really thrown for a loop. What could she get for Ryou? He was rich and had just about everything. Momomiya pondered on that as she walked down the street, glancing at display windows. 

"Ugh," she moaned, "He's impossible to shop for!"

Grumbling, the girl continued her mission.

While peering through one window, something caught her eye, making her think, _Ya know, nowadays they only ever sell the fake stuff... hmm, if I ask my mom, maybe she can help!_

With a smile, she bounded off toward her home.

* * *

Finally, the day of the big bash came. At the party, everyone was having a blast. There was singing, dancing, refreshment tables, and the café was full of happy teens. 

However, Ichigo was a little upset that Masaya came with Acacia. She decided that she'd stay out of their sight. She probably would have tried to interrupt them, but in her frenzy of finding a gift for Ryou, she had completely forgotten to get something for Masaya. Thus,the red-head settled for jealous spying, jumping when she received a tap on the shoulder.

"Eek!" she yelled with surprise. Turning around she noticed that Shirogane was laughing at her. "What did I tell you about scaring me!"

"I got you for pollyanna, right?" he almost cooed.

Ichigo replied, "Yeah, why?"

Ryou grabbed her hand and started for the stairs. "Follow me," he said. He led her into his room and shut the door. "I have a present for you," he stated calmly.

"Oh! I have yours too!" she beamed as she gently pulled something that was green and red out of her pocket. Gingerly, she handed it to the older teen.

"Mistletoe?"

"Yeah, it's real mistletoe. I noticed that downstairs you had the plastic kind hung up and thought you might like some of the actual plant. Do you like it?"

Ryou slowly tugged Ichigo into a hug and claimed her sweet lips with a kiss. It was soft and chaste, but passionate all the same. Totally shocked, the cat girl blushed crimson and her ears and tail popped out.

_What was that for? He just kissed me! And… and Iliked it! Oh my god! I can't believe this! _

"Thank you." As Shirogane stepped back a little, but continued to hold the embrace, he whispered, "I noticed you've been wearing that old bell, so here."

He removed the worn ribbon that Ichigo kept around her neck and replaced it with a new, light pink ribbon that had a sparkling golden bell attached to it. It was such a simple gift, yet it seemed to hold a much deeper meaning.

A short time ago, Momomiya would have slapped anyone who tried to remove the bell given to her by Masaya, but now she just couldn't bring herself to care. In fact, she was glad that the blonde had given such a present to her. It signified that she was no longer tied to Aoyama.

Pausing to look at her new accessory, Ryou absentmindedly stroked her soft cat ears.

"H-hey... what are you... doing..." Ichigo meant to ask in defiance, but it came out as a content sigh.

Ryou smirked at the reaction he got and continued to pet her.

Ichigo's blush deepened at his affectionate act and she started to get very nervous, but she moved not an inch, afraid to ruin the serenity of the atmosphere. _Why? Why?_ As she questioned his actions in her head, she received one more short peck on the lips, resulting in her turning into a kitten.

"Whaddoya know?" he asked as he picked her up carefully. "You do turn into a cat when someone kisses you." Chuckling, he gave her the privilege of being human again.

* * *

I edited this chapter! Yay! I may change it even more later, but I just don't have the time right now! Ja, I hope you all like it better now! 


	4. Stuck in Ryou's Room!

Okay, this chapter needs some **serious** revising! Lol! Ryou! It's disclaimer time!

Ryou: Ya already know she doesn't own Tokyo Mew Mew. If she did, I think she would've killed off that Masaya guy before the second book…

Me: Yes! I would've!

**Stuck in Ryou's Room**

At the Christmas Eve party, Pie approached Zakuro wearing his usual bored expression. When he stopped in front of her, the look on his face changed almost to one of warmth, which was quite unlike him.

"I have your Pollyanna gift," he said as he pulled out what appeared to be clothes. "I here you're a model, so I thought this might be of use to you, since I'm sure you've never seen an outfit like this one."

Zakuro held the articles in front of her and observantly stated, "They're very similar to what you wear. I'm sure my photographer will be interested in shots with these. Thank you, and here. I got you a job as a waiter. If you like, we could work together."

Pie answered with blithe, "I'd like that very much, Zakuro." That said, they both decided to leave the party and go somewhere quieter.

* * *

Back at the café though, Pudding and Tart had just exchanged presents. Pudding gave Tart a year's supply of candy and received a cute orange scarf. 

"Thanks a whole bunch, Tar Tar! I'll always wear it!"

"Whatever," was the response she got.

* * *

Ichigo was so nervous now, for Ryou had kissed her not once, or even twice, but three times. Unable to match his gaze, she concentrated on her feet while shuffling them in embarrassment. Meanwhile, the older teen just stared at her with soft eyes. 

Many thoughts were going through Ichigo's mind at the time. _Why'd he do that? I can't even look at him, I'm so mortified! What should I do?_

Then she felt her arm being stroked and her entire face began to redden. _Wait… I've never felt like this with Masaya… what's this feeling and what could it mean?_

Testing if her voice would work, she stuttered, "R-Ryou, if… if you don't stop… I'm gonna turn into a cat again… I… can't-" Poof! She transformed back into a feline.

"Hn," Shirogane sniggered, "You get excited so easily... Does this happen when you're around him?"

Immediately understanding who he was speaking of, Ichigo sighed angrily. "Only once... and I'd rather not talk about him right now..."

Her boss pressed, "Does it bother you that much? That he seems involved with some girl?"

"Why would it?" neko-Ichigo lied defensively, "It's not like the two of us are r-really going out anyway..."

"So it does bother you... Sorry, but what is it you like about him anyway?"

"I said I didn't want to talk about it," Momomiya stated with more authority. The subject annoyed her more than it should.

The blonde tried, "I was just wondering, because he just seems so disgustingly perfect... How could you stand that?"

"I said **drop it**!" she hissed, running toward the door foolishly. She knew she couldn't open the door, but the bottled up anger about Masaya clouded her mind.

Ryou called sympathetically, "How are you gonna leave like that, Strawberry? Even if the door wasn't shut, you'd still have to be human to go home."

"Well then, I suppose I'm trapped here for now, aren't I? Cause I don't want your help!" she growled, not knowing why she was so upset. Sure Ryou had pressed into a subject she wasn't comfortable with, but he really didn't do anything wrong.

He replied with frustration as he settled onto his bed, "If that's the case, then I'll be going to sleep now. Sure you don't want my help?"

"Of course I'm sure! Jerk!"

"All right. Goodnight then."

_Darn it!_ Ichigo thought, _I am gonna have to kiss him if I want to get home…

* * *

_

What's little Ichigo gonna do now? Hm... well, I hope the revised version is better! Please let me know what you think!


	5. Mew Mew Couples

Konnichiwa! Did ya miss me? I hope so! Cause if that's the case, chapter 5 is waiting for you. This time, we're having Kish say the disclaimer. Take it away!

Kish: I'm glad she doesn't own Tokyo Mew Mew! She paired Ichigo with Ryou! She's supposed to be MY kitty!

Me: Sorry, Kish, but the IchigoxRyou pairing is my favorite!

Kish: It's not fair!

**Chapter 5**

Ichigo stealthily tip toed to Ryou's bed in her kitten form and silently hopped onto it. _I can't believe I'm doing this!_ she noiselessly cursed herself, _Well, here goes…_ She oh so slowly bent down to kiss Ryou while chanting in her head, _It's not a real kiss… It's not a real kiss…_ Then a hand shot out and grabbed her middle and gently held her up in the air.

"Couldn't resist?" a certain male taunted. "Come on. I'll put you out." After opening his door, Ryou gave Ichigo a light peck on the lips and let her go as she transformed into a human again. Just as the blonde turned around to reenter his room, the cat girl stopped him.

She piped out, "Um, Ryou?"

"Yeah?" he sighed.

"Th-thanks… I guess," she stated while blushing. _Why is my heart pounding? I can barely breathe, it's beating so fast!_

Shirogane smiled a triumphant smile and said, "See ya tomorrow."

"What! Tomorrow! I'm not working tomorrow!" she yelled defiantly.

"I didn't say you were. But you and the others are still gonna be here. You don't have to stay long, just make sure you're here at nine P.M. exactly."

"Huh? What for?" the perplexed girl wondered aloud.

"Just be here. Night, cat girl." He finally retired to his room, leaving Ichigo by herself.

Christmas Night; 9:00

Ichigo skipped into the café happily because she'd had a pretty good day. She quickly spotted her friends and called out to them, "Hey guys!"

"What do you know? She's actually right on time!" Mint teased.

"You're here! Yippee!" Pudding cheered.

Lettuce shyly greeted, "Hello there, Ichigo. Merry Christmas. How was your day?"

Ichigo suddenly beamed, "It was fantastic! I got a TV and DVD player for my room! And, and a bunch of movies! I am SO happy!" She jumped up and down with endless energy and spun around and around until she bumped into something… or SOMEONE, that is.

"Watch where you're goin, Strawberry!"

"Huh?" Ichigo turned around. "Oh, Ryou! Uh, sorry! I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing. Haha…"

Ryou asked, "Is everyone here?"

Keiichiro answered, "It looks like it. Ready?"

The Mews added, "Yes!" Then the lights went out, and a Christmas tree was all that illuminated the large building. Flash! Strings of festive lights that were hung from the ceiling glowed brightly. Soft music filled the café with serenity and Pie and Tart appeared in front of Zakuro and Pudding.

Tart exclaimed, "This is a day just for the Mew Mews!"

"Zakuro?" Pie took her hand and led her to the dance floor.

Mint declared, "Wow! That's so unlike you, Pie! It's like you're being sweet. Aww…"

An ecstatic Pudding called, "Come on, Tar-Tar! I wanna dance too!"

In a far corner Ichigo whispered to Ryou, "Did you set all this up?" After receiving a slight nod, she giggled girlishly, "You really do have a nice side." She elbowed him gently. "Don't ya?"

Back on the dance floor Kish decided to show himself, but Mint refused to let him bother Ichigo and forced him to dance with her instead. Regardless, they enjoyed themselves because they didn't have to fight anymore. Keiichiro offered to dance with Lettuce since she had been far too shy to ask anyone herself.

Ryou glanced at everyone that was dancing and then back at the girl standing next to him. "We're the only ones just standing around. That means I'm stuck dancing with you, Strawberry. Come on."

"Wha?" she said. Ryou then tugged her into a slow dance. Momomiya blushed profusely, _This is just like that time on his ship… And I think I like it even more this time…_ She unconsciously rested her head on his chest as they continued to dance. Unfortunately, though, the song came to an end and they came to a halt.

"Ichigo?"

She spoke almost inaudibly, "Yes?"

"Whatever you do, don't look up. You should probably just walk away now."

"Why?" She looked up. _M-mistletoe?_

Ryou scolded, "What did I just tell you?" But before she could answer, he placed a feather-light kiss on her soft, pink lips.

Mint caught this and almost tripped over her own feet. "Oh my God!" This caused everyone else to turn and look, including Kish, who just about had a heart attack.

Totally oblivious to Mint's statement, Ichigo gazed into Ryou's blue orbs to find an emotion she never saw in them before. "Love?" she accidentally questioned aloud.

"Yes, Strawberry?" he grinned devilishly.

"Stupid! I wasn't calling you that! I just wanted to know if that look in your eyes…" She trailed off.

"I know you weren't, Strawberry. Anyhow, I have to go take care of something. See you later." Managing to avoid answering her question, he headed up the staircase to his room.

_That look was love_, she thought with glee, _And he may not ever tell me, but I'm positive he cares. Knowing that makes me happier than anything… maybe I'll let him know sometime._ Paying no attention to the looks she got from her friends, Ichigo skipped out the café doors and down the street to her house.

End Chapter 5

That's it for this story! But I've written a sequel! Please read it!


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